Who are you and what on earth are you up to?!

I’m Beth (short for Elizabeth) and I dislike housework so much – well come on, I mean you put the hoover round and do the washing up and it looks lovely but 6 months later it needs doing again doesn’t it – I’ve decided to give up my house later in the year and go on a very long walk. The plan is to walk the coast of Britain, from RNLI lifeboat station to lifeboat station, raising awareness and money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Association of Lowland Search and Rescue.

At the moment this is very much in the planning stage, and the next few months will be spent fine tuning the details with these 2 organisations, researching how not to need rescuing whilst raising money for rescue charities (can you imagine that! I think I’d be so embarrassed I’d have to emigrate), and getting fit enough so that I don’t come a cropper only a few weeks in.

I think it’s important to have clear expectations, so you know what to expect of me and my journey and I know what to expect myself, so there will be a few guidelines and rules I shall follow. It may sound daft but the main one is “what exactly is the coastline?” as this can vary by thousands of miles depending on whether I follow estuaries and rivers or not. So, as the planning evolves it will become clear what, when, and how I shall be undertaking this mammoth task. In the meantime I shall update on my planning and training, so at least if I take a wrong turn during the walk, end up on Bodmin Moor and get eaten by feral goats, there may be some useful information for anyone who may want to have a go themselves.

About my 2 chosen charities

The Association of Lowland Search & Rescue

The Association of Lowland Search & Rescue is the UK’s governing body for the 35 UK Lowland Rescue teams. ALSAR set the training standards that they have to reach, and the code of practice that they use. They are members of UKSAR, alongside Mountains Rescue and the RNLI, providing official Search and Rescue coverage “From Hill to High Water”, whenever requested.

They work with Police to locate people who are deemed to be in any danger from bad weather, ill-health, age or their location, for example missing children or dementia patients. Many teams also work alongside the Fire Service for flooding, wildfire SAR and drone support at major incidents.

These teams are highly trained and equipped to search across any terrain, administer medical assistance and recover the missing person to safety. They form the backbone of the unpaid Search & Rescue services in the UK with Lowland Rescue covering 33 police authorities, Mountain Rescue covering many mountainous and moorland areas, and Coastguard Rescue covering the coastline.

Key points (from the LR Association Incident Report for 2017) include:
• There were over 1350 operational members and 580 non-operational members;
• Resources included 52 dogs, 75 vehicles, 45 boats, 18 drones, 79 bikes and 41 canoes and kayaks;
• In total there was over 60,000 person-hours of incident activity (22 person-years);
• In 2017 there were 1,234 incident callouts including assists and 1,147 of these associated with searches for missing people;
• Based on the full economic costs of a police officer (National Policing Guidelines 2015) the total value of the Lowland Rescue Services provided for incidents alone would be £3.6 million. This excludes all costs associated with training and equipment.

Currently, funding is used for training of the local teams, bringing them to a recognized national standard, and provision of materials to support online learning. However, they are about to undertake a large dog training program with an aim to deliver 100 ground scenting search dogs nationally. They are also invested in future research for finding missing people, be this the pioneering use of Drone technology or the creation of unique scent bottle kits for trailing dogs. They are a registered charity, run entirely on a voluntary basis, on a par with Mountain Rescue and the RNLI.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution

The RNLI is the largest charity that saves lives at sea, through lifeboat search and rescue, lifeguards, water safety education and flood rescue. It operates around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man as well as on some inland waterways.

The RNLI has 237 lifeboat stations and operates 444 lifeboats, plus lifeguards operating on more than 200 beaches. Although the lifeguards are paid by local authorities the RNLI provides equipment and training. The Institution also operates Flood Rescue Teams (FRT) nationally and internationally (iFRT), the latter prepared to travel to emergencies overseas at short notice.

Giving these lifesavers (most of whom are unpaid volunteers) everything they need and deserve – from boots to boats – is costly. It cost £176.5M to run their lifesaving service in 2017, mostly funded by legacies and donations.